Container with replaceable closure



Dec. 8, 1931. H. L. DARDELET 1,835,017

CONTA INER WITH REPLACEABLE CLOSURE Filed June 26, 1929 aaz sflanielet ATTORNEYS i Patented Dec. 8, 1931 ment being a small part of one UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER WITH REPLACEABLE CLOSURE Application filed June 26, 1829, Serial No. 373,880, and in France May 30 1829.

This invention relates to improvements in containers with detachable and replaceable closures.

The invention-has for its principal objects to provide a container having. a closure or cap which may be readily removed and replaced at will and wherein the closure will cflectively seal the mouth of the container body when the closure is in place thereon; to provide a glass bottle or other container body having a one-piece metal cap which may be replaced after removal and may be securely locked in sealing position without employing auxiliary fastening means; and to provide a container having a one-piece cap frictionally locked on the container mouth against accidental disconnection and wherein said cap and mouth are so formed that the cap may be applied and locked by a short downward and turning movement about the mouth and removed by a short upward movement, the extent of the turning moverevolution of the cap relatively to the mouth.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description in detail of the embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The invention is shown as embodied in a glass bottle having a sheet metal cap, but it will be obvious that it may be embodied in other containers, such as jars, and cans, and

that the container body may be formed of other material than glass, e. g. metal.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a container embodying the invention and com prising a glass bottle with a sheet metal cap, the cap being shown locked on the mouth or upper end of the bottle neck in sealing position;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of a wrench suitable for use in applying and removing the cap;

Fig. 3 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the container with the cap locked on and the wrench applied in position for unlocking the cap; 7

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the cap; Fig. 5 is a perspective view on an enlarged and turning accomplished by scale of the bottle mouth or neck with the cap removed;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 6, the cap in Figs. 6 and 7 being fitted loosely over the bottle neck with its packing lining resting loosely on the top of the bottle neck in the position assumed by the cap before the final slight downward and'turning movement of the cap which causes the cap to frictionally grip the bottle neck;

Fig. 8 is a sectional View on the line 88 of Fig. 9 showing -the cap locked on in sealing position as in Figs. 1 and 3;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 an elevation of a male member having a screw thread of the kind with which the bottle mouth is provided with a fragment.

The improvements are shown as embodied in a container especially suitable for gas charged liquids and comprising a glass bottle 10 and a detachable and replaceable cap 11 formed of sheet metal and having a cork plate 12 carried within the cap and covering the bottom face of the fiat top wall of the cap. The pendent integral continuous flange or skirt of the cap is adapted to take a releasable self-holding grip on the exterior of the bottle mouth or exterior of that portion of the upper end of the bottle neck which interfits with the cap. The fitting and locking of the cap on the bottle is adapted to be quickly a simultaneous downward and rotary movement of the cap, the extent of the rotary movement of the cap being a small fraction of one rev lution.

The cap receiving mout portion 13 of the bottle neck has an external cap-flange engaging surface consisting of a locking surface portion 14 and an abutment surface portion 15 uniting the ends of said locking portion. The external profile of mouth portion 13 is on the line 99 such that all horizontal sections thereb a much shorter line, all such profiles beiing identical in contour and size, but being progressively rotatively staggered. The spiral line consists of substantially one convolution of an Archimedean spiral and the short line 'is preferably an ogee or reverse curve (as shown) so that it merges smoothly with the ends 'of the spiral line.

The flange or skirt of the cap 11 hasthe same contouras the exterior of mouth portion 13 but its internal size is made very slightly greater than the external size of the mouth portion, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, to facilitate passing the flange downward about the mouth portion. The flange or skirt is divided into a spiral Wall portion 1E and an abutment wall portion 17 the respective inner faces of which constitute lockingsurface portion 18 and abutment surface portion 19 of the cap flange.

The locking surface portions of the bottle neck and flange taper downward and inward, and the width of the abutment surface portions of said neck and flange remains constant, said abutment surface portions extending downward and a small fraction of one turn around the bottle neck from their upper to their lower ends. It will be noted that the cap can be fitted on the bottle mouth only by a simultaneous downward and rotary movement of the cap relatively to the mouth and that the extent of the rotary movement of the cap necessary to fit the cap on the mouth in locked position is small, being a small fraction of one complete turn. It will also be observed that the cap and bottle month are in effect portions of male .and female screw elements, the cap and mouth having in effect portions of complementary female and male screw threads of highpitch. As shown, the outer surface of the neck has the conformation of the surface portion of the male screw thread and the inner surface of the cap flange has the conformation of the surface portion of the female screw thread of a pair of complementary screw threads that are of large pitch and have each a nar row and a wide side face, the narrow side face of each thread making an abrupt angle with the axial line of the thread and the wide side face making an angle with the axial line of the thread which is very small and within the angle of friction of the material or materials of which the cap .and container month are formed.

A thread of the kind referred tois shown in French Patent No. 599,591, and a male member with such a thread is shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings attached hereto, this thread having the pitch of the threads shown in the other views. In Fig. 10, 20 is the wide side face and 21 the narrow side face of the thread, and that part of the surface of the thread lying between planes PP is the surface part of the thread found upon the exterior of the bottle neck, part 20 corresponding with looking surface portion 14 of the bottle neck and part 21 corresponding with abutment surface portion 15 of the bottle neck. Planes P-l" are'spaced apart a 'n1ent surface portions having the COHfOIIIld tion of the portions of the two side faces of the thread lying between said planes.

To stiffen the cap flange at the offset formed by wall portion 17 thereof, and to facilitate application and tight locking of the cap and removal of the cap, the cap flange is provided with an integral lip 22 extending horizontally outward from the lower edge of the flange along the bottom of wall portion 17, said lip having a perforation 23 therein and preferably joining wall portion 16 of the flange at opposite sides of the wall portion 17, as shown.

The cap is applied by registering the spiral lower edge of the flange with the spiral upper edge of the neck and then moving the cap down, the cap turning slightly clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 7, as its abutment surface portion 19 rides down abutment surface portion 15 of the neck until lining 12 seats on the upper edge of the neck, when the parts will be in the position shown in Figs. 6 and 7, interfitted but not locked together. In Figs. 6 and 7 the cap has turned through the angle D (Fig. 7 and a very slight additional turning movement will draw the cap slightly farther downward to tightly seal the bottle mouth and will cause the locking surface portions of the cap and mouth to frictionally bind on each other with the cap flange slightly stretched and under elastic tension. The final interfitted and locked position of the cap on the bottle is shown in Figs. 1, 3, 8 and 9. The full angle of turn for interfitting and locking is the angle 1) (Fig. 7) which is a small frac tion of one complete turn.

The upper edge of the bottle mouth may be flat, or it may be formed with a circular upstanding bead 24 as shown. It will be obvious that during the slight final turning movement of the cap in locking direction, above referred to, the flange, after locking surface portions 14 and 18 come into contact will tend to continue to move downward, following the line of least resistance, until the cork lining 12 is compressed to an extent at which the resistance to further compression is greater than the resistance to stretch of the flange.

I The bottle will thus be tightly sealed across the top of the mouth, the cap will be frictionally locked on the neck against accidental turning in unlocking and removing direction under influence of vibrations and shocks, and the cap by reason of the taper of the locking surfaces will be positively interlocked with the neck against direct axial movement off the neck under the influence of gas pressure that may exist in the sealed bottle or the influence of the weight of the contents of the bottle when the bottle is tipped or inverted. The frictional gripping engagement extends substantially one full turn around the bottle neck and is self-maintaining against the loosening effect of vibrations and shocks, the total rise of the spiral profiles being small in proportion to the length of the spiral profile line which extends through substantially one complete convolution. As will be seen in Fig. 7, the tangent A to the spiral at the point nearest the center C from which the spiral is generated makes a small angle with the tangent B at the same point to a circle struck from center C, which angle is within the angle of friction of the materials of which the bottle and cap are formed.

The cap may be conveniently unlocked and locked by means of a wrench such as that shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The wrench 24 has a pin 25 at the end thereof opposite its handle end, saidpin extending through the wrench so that it may be en aged in hole 23 in cap lip 22 with the wrench applied in the cap-unlocking position shown in Fig. 3 or with the wrench turned over from the Fig. 3 position into its cap locking position in which the bowed part of the wrench would extend around the lower part of the cap as viewed in Fig. 3. It will be obvious that with the cap locked on, as in Fig. 3, and the wrench applied as in said Fig. 3, force exerted on the handle end of the wrench'in the direction of the arrow will turn the cap from the locked position (Figs. 3, 8 and 9) to the unlocked position (Figs. 6 and 7) at which time the abutment surface portions 19 and 15 Would contact. The cap may then be completely detached by turning and drawing upward on the cap with the fingers, the abutment surface 19 of the cap riding up abutment surface 15 of the neck until the cap is separated from the bottle. It will be obvious that the cap may be repeatedly applied and removed to seal and open the bottle.

What I claim is 1. A container comprising a container body having a mouth portion, and a detach able and replaceable closure cap on the mouth portion having a continuous skirt embracing the mouth portion, the adjacent surfaces of the mouth and skirt each having a profile of the shape of substantially one convolution of an Archimedean s iral with the ends of the spiral line unite line, all horizontal sections through the mouth and skirt showing for each of said surfaces identical profiles with the profiles staggered around a common center.

2. A container comprising a body, and a detachable and replaceable closure cap for the body interfittable with the upper end of the body, the interfittable portions of the cap and body being movable into interfitted relation only by a simultaneous downward and rotary movement of the cap relatively to the body, the exterior surface of that portion of the body and the interior surface of that portion of the cap which interfit with each other each consisting of a locking surface portion and an abutment surface portion uniting the ends of the locking surface portion, all horizontal sections through the interfittable portion of the body having an identical external profile and all horizontal sections through the interfittable portion of the cap having an identical profile,said profileshaving the shape of substantially one turn of an Archimedean spiral line with the ends of the spiral line united by a relatively short line, and the profiles at the upper and lower ends of each interfittable portion being rotatively staggered a small fraction of one turn.

3. A container body having a cap receivmg and holding mouth portion all horizontal sections of which have identical external profiles of the shape of an Archimedean spiral line the two ends of which are united by a relatively short profile line said profiles being progressively rotatively staggered,

vwith the profiles at opposite ends of the mouth portion staggered a fraction of one complete turn.

l. A detachable and replaceable closure cap for containers having a pendent container mouth embracing skirt all horizontal sections through which have identical profiles of the shape of an Archimedean spiral line the two ends of which are united by a relatively short profile line, said profiles being progressively rotatively staggered, with the profiles at opposite ends of the skirt staggered a fraction of one complete turn.

5. A container body having a cap receiving and holding mouth portion whose outer surface consists of a locking surface portion extending substantially entirely around the mouth and an abutment surface portion uniting the ends of the locking surface portion, said outer surface having the conformation of that portion of the surface of a male screw thread which lies between two parallel planes spaced less than the pitch distance and intersecting the axial line of the thread at a right angle, and which thread has side faces one of which is much wider from the thread crest to the thread root than the other and has a by a relatively short cap for containers having a pendent containor mouth embracing skirt the inner surface of which consistsof a locking surface portion extending substantially entirely around the Y skirt and an abutment surface portion unit ingthe ends of the locking surface portion,

said inner surface having the conformation" of that portion of the surface of a female screw thread which lies between two parallel planes spaced less than the pitch distance and intersecting the axial line of the thread at a right angle, and which thread has side faces one of' which is much wider from the thread crest to the thread root than the other and has a slope making a small angle with the end portion of the bottle neck, said flange and the outer surface portion of the bottle neck fitting within the flange having icoactive locking surface portions extending around the neck in the path of an Archimedean spiral and coactivc abutment surface portions uniting the ends of the locking surface portions, the lines of union between the ends of the spiral surface portion of both the neck and flange and the abutment surface portion thereof extending downward and partly around the bottle neck, the external profile of the flange engaging portion of the neck and internal profile of the neck receiving portion of the flange both being constant, the profile of the flange being very slightly larger than that of the flange engaging portion of the neck, said flange having an integral lip extending outward from its lower edge entirely along the portion of the flange having the short profile line, and a compressible liquid proof lining carried within the cap in engagement with and covering the bottom face of the top wall of the cap, said lip having a perforation therein for the engagement with the flange of a cap applying and removin g wrench. i

8. A container having a removable and replaceable closure provided with a cavity, and an outlet portion receivable in-said closure cavity, characterized by the fact that the cavity and outlet portion have complementary peripheries with a corresponding constant inward taper respectively from the inner to the outer end of the cavity and fromvthe outer to the inner end of the outlet portion substantially entirely around said complementary peripheries, each of which peripheries has a pro le of constant size and shape in all planes perpendicular to the direction of length of the cavity and outletportion, which profile is substantially identical for both said complementary peripheries and consists of an Archimedean spiral line extending through substantially one complete convolution and a much shorter-line uniting the ends of said spiral line.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature. r

HUGUES LOUIS DARDELET. 

